The One He Couldn't Kill
by To'M'L Kuran
Summary: Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Welcome to my new story! I promise it won't suck like my last Naruto story. That one got rushed, so I'm taking my time with this one, developing backstory and the relationship between Itachi and Noriko. I hope you like this! Let me know if you do please. Reviews make a happy To'M'L! **

**I don't own Naruto. I just think work at a bookshop in Konoha (I wish)**

* * *

Five year old Uchiha Noriko clung to her distant cousin, Uchiha Itachi, as the sounds of battle rang across the village and throughout the Uchiha compound. Itachi allowed his cousin to cling to him while he held his new born brother in his arms.

"I'm scared Itachi," Noriko whispered. "What if something happens to Mommy and Daddy or Auntie and Uncle?"

"It will be alright, Noriko; they are all strong ninja. They are doing their best to protect the village now, so we must do our best to protect Sasuke."

Noriko wiped a tear from her eyes and put on a brave face.

"Right!" She declared. "We have to protect Sasuke-chan! And you'll protect me, right Itachi?"

Itachi nodded. "I'll always protect you, Noriko."

Noriko smiled and nuzzled Itachi affectionately.

* * *

Noriko held Itachi's hand tightly.

"What if I'm not any good? What if no one likes me? What if I never become a ninja?"

"None of those things will happen, Noriko," Itachi assured her. "We Uchiha are said to be geniuses. Of course you will be good. I've seen you train with your father: you're getting better every day. You are a very kind girl, Noriko; of course people will like you. If nothing else, I will be there, and I care for you very much. And if you do not become a ninja, then you will find something of equal importance to do with your life. Whatever you choose to do with your life is your choice and you will do well at it."

"You really think so, Itachi?"

"Yes, I truly believe that. You are the type of person who never gives up, no matter how frightened you are by uncertainties. You will thrive and succeed in this world because of that will to never give up."

Noriko hugged Itachi.

"You're the best, Itachi! You always know what to say to me when I'm scared."

"Hn." was Itachi's reply.

This caused Noriko to giggle.

"Come on! We're going to be late for our first day of school!"

* * *

Noriko and Itachi thrived at the academy. While Noriko was rather timid, she was intelligent and kind; she quickly gained friends and her grades were towards the top of the class. Itachi out did everyone in both skill and knowledge. Before long, he had passed out of the academy, leaving his timid cousin behind. While she was proud of him, Noriko missed spending every day with Itachi. He was always busy with missions and training as a genin. This caused Noriko to work harder in her studies. Although she was primarily a long-distance, non-aggressive fighter (using genjutsu and fire-based ninjutsu), she began working on her other areas as well. Before long, she became skilled in all areas of the shinobi arts. While her weakest was still her close-range taijutsu, she was no longer timid and afraid to hit her target. Her weapon skills increased, and she found herself quite talented with a sword. She perfected her fire ball jutsu. And her genjutsu, still her strongest, became top notch for her age. She graduated a little over a year and a half after Itachi did at the age of 8. Around the same time, Itachi gained control over his Sharingan. Noriko felt like she was even further away from Itachi.

* * *

Noriko spent her first few years as a genin trying to catch up with Itachi. They were on different teams so they rarely saw each other unless it was around the Uchiha compound. Missions filled their lives now, and Itachi was always training when he wasn't on a mission. Noriko missed Itachi: her protector, her friend. But soon, she would see a lot more of him. The chunin exams were coming up and they both were entered.

**End Chapter 1**

**I hope you liked it. Wasn't too much action, but I wanted to set up some basic information about Noriko and her relationship with Itachi before moving on to the rest of the story. Reviews make me happy :)**

**Next time: Chunin Exams Part 1!**

**See ya next time**

**-To'M'L**


	2. Chapter 2

**sorry this took so long. My computer's missing. Thanks for some great reviews!**

'Breath, Noriko, just breath. You can do this.'

"Noriko! Hurry up!" a 13 year old Hyuuga boy snapped, pulling Noriko from her internal pep talk.

"Coming Hikaru-kun!"

Noriko headed over to her team. Hyuuga Hikaru: the 13 year old Hyuuga was the oldest of their team members and self appointed leader. He kept a cool head in rough situations, but overly enjoyed giving orders to his two younger team mates. Aburame Ayaka: the Aburame clan member had a mother who was a master genjutsu user. Her mother and father taught her to combine their talents. Ayaka's body was host to hypnotic moths. Their Jonin teacher was Nara Shikako: a middle aged man who was training Hikaru in the art of strategy.

Now it was time for the first part of the Chunin exams: the written part. Shikako had no doubt all of his team would pass. All of them had graduated around the same time-at the ages of 7, 9, and 10-and had been training together for the last three years. All three were geniuses.

"Alright you three," Shikako said, calling his subordinates to attention. "You've got this. I've been putting as much emphasis on your mental training as your physical training for the entire time we've been together. You all know the answers. These exams should be a breeze for you. That said, don't get cocky. If you guys slack off, I'll hand you over to Might Guy and he'll have you three run his training course with him."

The three of them gulped. Only Hikaru was a mainly taijutsu user, even then he wasn't the same type of taijutsu user as Guy-san was.

Shikako's expression softened from a stern look to one of endearment.

"You've guys got this. Go knock 'em dead!"

The three genin saluted their sensei and headed into the exam room.

The seats for the exam were alphabetically arranged. Ayaka was in the front of the room, Hikaru in the middle, and Noriko in the back, next to Itachi. As Noriko took her seat, she smiled at her friend, who smiled back.

"It's been a while, Noriko," he said.

"Yeah, I guess we've both been busy with missions and training. How do you like your team?"

"They're all fairly nice; they're good ninja. How do you like yours?"

"They're awesome! I love them! Hikaru-kun can get kind of bossy, but that's alright. Ayaka-chan is really nice, but her moths freak me out a little bit. Shikako-sensei is a little stern, but he's really smart. He's training Hikaru-kun to be our leader for when we start doing missions without him. Sensei scared me a little bit before we came in here though. He said that if we got cocky and failed because of that, that he'd have Gai-san run his training course with us."

Itachi chuckled lightly. "That's a serious threat your sensei sent you."

Noriko shuttered. "I don't want to run laps with Gai-san! I'm even more nervous now with that threat lingering over my head!"

Itachi smiled at his friend. He had missed their conversations. Noriko was very different from the other Uchihas; she always wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Let's do our best, Noriko," he said softly with a smile.

Noriko replied with a sharp nod.

* * *

The test was supposed to challenge them, prove that their knowledge was that of a chunin, but Noriko found it rather easy. She knew her team mates and Itachi had no problem with the exam either; all of them were very skilled mentally.

The next day, they all found their names on the list of passing genin.

The next exam was team battles in one of the most dangerous training grounds: The Forest of Death.

The teams were lined up outside the forest, waiting for the second exam to begin. Noriko was shaking in her knee-high boots.

"Don't shake so much, Noriko," Hikaru told her. "The other teams will think we're weak and try to pick us off first."

The test was to take two scrolls to the tower in the middle of the forest before five days were up. The catch was, you only started with one; you had to seal the second scroll from another team.

"I can't help it! I'm terrified!"

"Some Uchiha you are!" he snapped.

Noriko looked down; her friend had hit a sore spot. It was well known amongst the Uchiha clan that while Noriko was a strong ninja, she was a piss poor Uchiha. She was very open with her emotions and had yet to awaken her Sharingan.

Hikaru noticed Noriko's saddened epression and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Look, I didn't mean it that way, Noriko. Just relax; we're all going to be fine. My Byakugan will spot anyone who gets near us, and we'll easily take down anyone who crosses us. So, chin up and stop worrying so much."

Noriko threw her arms around the flustered Hyuga. "Thanks, Hikaru-kun. Sorry I'm such a scaredy cat."

Hoirko had her face buried in her team mate's shirt, so she failed to notice the blush creeping up Hikaru's cheeks.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to Hikaru's Byakugan, Team Shikako made it through the forest of death quite easily. They now stood in line with nine other genin, including Itachi's team. The Hokage stood in front of them and congratulated them for making it this far. He explained the purpose of the test and how the third round of the exams would take place in a months time in front of the entire village as well as guests from many other lands. After the Hokage's speech, they all drew numbers to see who would fight each other in the first round of the third exam. Noriko looked at the board with horrified eyes as she saw her number next to Hikaru's.

'I don't stand a chance!' she thought.

Hikaru looked sad as well. Part of him wanted to throw the match, but he knew his teammate would never forgive him for doing such a thing.

The Hokage dismissed the genin and Noriko, Ayaka, and Hikaru went to find their sensei.

* * *

"Hmm...Noriko's fighting Hikaru for the first round?" Shikako mused aloud.

"That is correct, Sensei," Ayaka said. The purple-clad kunoichi's voice exposed none of her emotions, but, behind her sunglasses, she was concerned for her friends.

"Sensei, do I have to fight Hikaru-kun? He'll destroy me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Noriko!" Hikaru defended himself.

"What? Are you saying you're going to let me win? I don't want to win if you don't give it your all, Hikaru-kun!"

"I know! Just-ERR! I don't want to hurt you, Noriko, but we have to fight!"

"Hikaru's right," Shikako said. "An Uchiha versus a Hyuga...That's a match they'll be wanting to see. The crowd will have a fit if you two don't fight. Besides that, you've both worked too hard to both drop out now."

"I'm going to lose so badly!"

"This match isn't about winning or losing. It's about proving your skills. Don't worry about winning; worry about showing off all that you can do in every area."

Noriko nodded.

"Alright you guys. Here's the deal. I can't train you all during this time, especially with Noriko and Hikaru fighting each other. You'll have to get your own trainers for this time. I can give you some suggestions, but it's ultimately up to you as an individual to track them down and ask for their assistance. These tests are to see if you're chunin material. That means no one will be holding your hand anymore. Now, as for my recommendations, you all come from highly distinguished clans with unique jutsu; I recommend you use that to your advantage and train with one of your clansmen. Noriko, I recommend your father. He's familiar with your abilities and is known for his fire techniques; have him play to your strengths and work on defending your weaknesses. Hikaru, I'm going to recommend Hizashi. You may not be able to learn any of the Hyuga main branch techniques from him, but he's a highly skilled jonin; see if he'll take you under his wing. Ayaka, I'm recommending Yuhi Kurenai. I know she's not part of your clan, but Kurenai is a genjutsu specialist; she'll be able to help you perfect your techniques." Shikako looked over his team for a moment with fondness in his eyes. "I'm very proud of all three of you. You've come far in the last few years we've been together. I have no doubt in my mind that you can all succeed in this last exam. Now, that's enough of this touchy-feely bull shit. Get out of here, you brats!"

"Hai, Sensei!"

As the three genin left to find their respective teachers, Shikako found himself smirking with pride. He liked to act tough and pretend he wasn't too attached to his team, but the three pre-teens had grown on him. He was proud to call them his students.

* * *

"Hey, Tou-san? Can I ask you something?" Noriko asked as she poked her head into her father's study.

Uchiha Katsuo looked up from his papers to glance at his only child. "What is it, Noriko?"

"Can you train me?"

"I've been training you," he reminded her.

"I mean for the chunin exams. Shikako-sensei said we need to find our own trainer. You're one of the best Uchiha as far as the clan fire jutsus go. I don't know if I can beat Hikaru-kun, but I want to give him the best fight I can."

"You're up against the Hyuga boy, eh?"

Noriko nodded.

Her father chuckled. "We'll take him to the cleaners."

Noriko smiled and threw her arms around her father's neck. "Thank you Tou-san!"

Katsuo held his daughter in his arms. She may not be very reserved about her emotions or have awakened her Sharingan, but she was still the star of his life, even if she wasn't the star of the Uchiha clan.

* * *

Noriko sat on the pier over looking the lake on the Uchiha property. Her hands were burnt from all the fire she had dealt with today and she was very tired, but she knew the results would be worth it in the end. She was so happy her father was taking her training to the next level. She only hoped she could make him proud.

Noriko looked up as she heard footsteps behind her.

"How is your training going, Noriko?"

"Itachi! It's going great! Tou-san is teaching me the family jutsu! My hands are a little burnt, but I'm so happy I finally have a chance to make him proud!"

Itachi smiled. "I'm glad it is going well for you."

"How about you? Who's doing your training?"

"My father."

"Oh. How's that going?"

"As well as it can be. He is as harsh and demanding as ever."

Noriko giggled, knowing how the clan's leader could be.

"Let's do our best, Itachi. Let's both become great ninja, together."

Itachi smiled and took his relative's hand.

"Together." He agreed.

* * *

**AN: Thanks to everyone who's fav, followed, and/or reviewed :) I know Itachi hasn't been it too much so far, but believe me, I'm leading up to it. He'll be coming up more in the next two chapters. I'm trying to take things slowly this time. All my other stories have rushed into the romance, but I'm going to let them be children for now. I promise to develop their bond and do this right. Because Itachi deserves a proper romance :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for some great reviews. Glad you guys are liking this :)**

**Here's a link to my Pinterest board for this story: ashtonthericker/the-one-he-couldnt-kill/**

**Enjoy the new chapter. I apologies in advance if my battle scenes suck. I've never been good with battle scenes, but I'm doing my best. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames please.  
**

* * *

Noriko drew a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She and the other eight genin stood side by side, each person next to their opponent: Noriko next to Hikaru, Ayaka next to Isamu (one of Itachi's team mates), Itachi next to Kaede from the sand, Kimiko (itachi's other team mate) and Riku from sand, and finally the last sand team member, Shin, who would be facing the winner of the match between Kimiko and Riku.

Noriko sized up her perspective opponents. She and Itachi were the youngest; Itachi's team mates were in their teens and the sand team was even older. Everyone here had more experience in life and as a ninja. She clenched the handle of her new sword tightly. The shield like sword had been a heirloom from her mother's great-grandfather. Once her mother, Uchiha Akemi, had heard about Noriko's match against Hikaru, she had insisted on taking part in her daughter's training. Noriko has shown promise with a sword and Akemi was one of the best swordsmen in the Uchiha clan, using the unique sword passed down from mother to daughter since it was first given to Akemi's grandmother. Noriko thought back to her training with her mother.

_"This sword is used for offense and defense, Noriko. You can use it as a shield or as a weapon against your opponent. This will help you defend against the Hyuga's Gentle Fist style. As soon as I heard you were up against a Hyuga, I knew it was time to pass down the sword."_

_"This is an heirloom?"_

_"Absolutely. This sword first belonged to my great-grandfather. He and my great-grandmother were lovers, but not married. He didn't know she was pregnant when he died in battle. The first Hokage brought back his sword from the battle field and gave it to my great-grandmother. She was an excellent swordsmen and trained her daughter in the way of the sword, passing down her the shield-like sword when she was old enough. My grandmother trained my mother and my mother trained me. Now it's your turn."_

_Noriko grasped the handle and the chain attached to it, feeling the pride of her family flow through her._

_"Hey, Kaa-san? Who was your great-grandfather?"_

_"Oh, that's a story for another time, dear," Akemi said with a smile._

Noriko didn't notice that Itachi was staring at the sword in her hands, knowing well who it had once belonged to.

* * *

It was time. Noriko and Hikaru stood in their respective fighting stances, Hikaru ready to use Gentle Fist and Noriko with her sword at the ready.

"Begin!"

Both genin jumped back, trying to prepare their own strategy while anticipating what the other will do.

"Nice sword there, Noriko," Hikaru commented. "Is it new?"

"Yeah, my mother gave it to me. It's a family heirloom given to me especially for this fight. I've been training hard, Hikaru-kun. I won't lose."

Hikaru smiled sincerely. "You must have been training really hard, Noriko; this is the most confident I've ever heard you in the three years we've been teammates. I promise I'll give you a good fight."

Noriko smirked. "Come!"

Hikaru charged at Noriko, trying to bring her in range of his gentle fist attacks. He knew that she would increase their distance, as she was mostly a distance fighter, and use either fire-style ninjutsu or her sword, which she could use at a distance because of its chain. He had to block her tenketsu to bring her down. He charged chakra into his hands as he approached her. She swung her sword in front of him, blocking his attack and pushing him back at the same time. Noriko thrust her sword at him to increase the distance between them and used a quick series of hand seals to preform one of the fire style techniques she had learned.

"Fire Style: Dragon's Breath Jutsu!"

Hikaru gasped as the fire took the shape of a dragon and started towards him. He summoned his chakra to his palms and used it like a shield against the fiery dragon, since it had been fairly close ranged and there wasn't time to dodge it. The effort left him slightly winded.

"Your father's training has paid off. If I recall correctly, that technique is at least a B rank jutsu."

Noriko smiled cheerfully at her teammates compliment, but didn't let it distract her.

The fight continued on, Noriko playing the defensive while Hikaru attacked, but the fight still seemed to be in Noriko's favor even if she wasn't actively attacking. She would let Hikaru attack her and defend against him while pushing him back with either her sword or a fire technique. The fight had continued for a long time and Hikaru was getting low on chakra while Noriko was still fresh.

"What's your plan, Noriko? I still can't figure it out. My techniques are all close ranged, so I have to get close to you in order to fight. You, however, are terrible with close ranged fighting, and yet you remain within range of my attacks. Almost like you want to be attacked. Why?"

"Hikaru-kun, if I told you, then my strategy would be ruined," Noriko said sweetly.

'She's so different when she's fighting,' Hikaru thought. 'It's almost like she's toying with me. The Noriko I know isn't nearly this confident in her attacks. Something's wrong. Noriko's not like this. That's it!'

Hikaru ceased his attacking.

"You're not the real Noriko, are you? Where's the real Noriko?"

_Whack!_

Hikaru fell to the ground as he was struck from behind.

"Well done, Hikaru-kun! You figured me out. It's a little late though. You're tired and almost out of chakra while I'm still fresh. That genjutsu I used did take a decent amount of chakra, but not as much as all your attacks did. Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Noriko's attack covered Hikaru in burns and he was no longer able to continue the fight. The proctor called the match to an end, naming Noriko the winner. Once the match was ended, Noriko rushed to Hikaru's side.

"Are you alright, Hikaru-kun?"

He groaned, but nodded. "You've gotten stronger. I knew you were focusing on your fire ninjutsu and then your sword, but I forgot all about your genjutsu abilities."

"I know. That's why I used them. You're not the only one who's been learning strategy from Shikako-sensei."

"Good job, Noriko. Good luck with the rest of the exam."

With that, the medics took him away to treat his burns. Noriko went to join the rest of the genin and stood next to Itachi.

"You did very well, Noriko. I'll be surprised if they don't name you chunin."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely. You displayed good use of strategy to take down your opponent. Your sensei has taught you well."

* * *

After the first round of the exam, the results were this:

**1\. Noriko Vs. Hikaru: Winner-Noriko**

**2\. Ayaka Vs. Isamu: Winner-Ayaka**

**3\. Itachi Vs. Kaede: Winner-Itachi**

**4\. Kimiko Vs. Riku: Winner-Riku**

**5\. Riku Vs. Shin: Winner-Shin**

Round Two would be:

Noriko Vs. Ayaka and Itachi Vs. Shin

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. Hope I did well with the battle. I actually enjoyed writing it, even though I was really hesitant. It was hard figuring out how to have Noriko beat Hikaru. Ayaka and Noriko's fight will be fun though. I really like Ayaka's abilities, and I can't wait to finally use them in battle. **

**Next time will be rounds 2 and 3 of the chunin exams. **

**Please tell me what you think of my battle scene and what I can improve on so Ayaka and Noriko can be even better.**


	5. Chapter 5

A couple of things. There seemed to be a little confusion about the last chapter. Here are the matches from round one:

**1\. Noriko Vs. Hikaru: Winner-Noriko**

**2\. Ayaka Vs. Isamu: Winner-Ayaka**

**3\. Itachi Vs. Kaede: Winner-Itachi**

**4\. Kimiko Vs. Riku: Winner-Riku**

**5\. Riku Vs. Shin: Winner-Shin**

There were five matches, but only 9 contestants. I didn't use Riku twice. It's the same Riku, but he fights two battles in round one. Now there's only four contestants left: Noriko, Ayaka, Itachi, and Shin. I hope this cleared things up.

Also, I recently learned that Noriko's "sword" is actually a battle fan called Gunbai. It also has a kama (kinda like a scythe) attached at the end. Yeah, didn't realize that. If anyone has any guesses as to who Noriko's great-great-grandfather is, feel free to guess in a review or message. I may or may not confirm them, but I'd like to know if anyone figured it out. :)

Enjoy this chapter

* * *

Itachi and Shin fought first, and, to no one's surprise, Itachi had been declared the winner. Now Noriko and Ayaka were facing each other. Noriko tried to determine what her teammate was thinking behind her sunglasses, but, as usual, she was unsuccessful. Noriko had spent all her time preparing to fight Hikaru that she hadn't even thought about the possibility of fighting Ayaka. The Aburame girl had already seen her use of genjutsu against Hikaru and was skilled in it herself. That wouldn't work on her. She fought primarily with genjutsu moths and it would take most of Noriko's efforts just to fight off the genjutsu. The source of the genjutsu was the moths; they would need to be dealt with before Noriko had any chance of winning against Ayaka.

"Are you both ready?" the proctor asked.

Both girls nodded.

"Begin!"

"I won't go easy on you, Noriko," Ayaka stated.

"I'm glad, Ayaka-chan. I don't want to win easily."

Moths fluttered out of Ayaka's body and the swarm surrounded Noriko's body, painting images of a dark maze, intended to frighten Noriko.

"Release!"

The genjutsu faded, but was quickly replaced by another one.

'These moths are tricky. As soon as I dispel the current genjutsu, another one takes its place. There are so many moths placing me under the genjutsu its impossible to break it. I need to get rid of these moths.'

Out of no where, Noriko was struck from behind, causing her to fall to the ground. She couldn't tell if it was real or part of the genjutsu, but it didn't really matter since her body was still thinking it was taking damage. She had to get ride of those moths!

'Wait! Moths are insects! Insects burn!'

"Fire Style: Dragon's Breath Jutsu!"

The genjutsu faded, revealing Ayaka standing over Noriko.

"Very clever, Noriko. But I have plenty more where that came from."

Moths flew from the Aburame and another genjutsu formed. Ayaka struck the hypnotized Noriko again and again. Noriko tried to fight back with fire style ninjutsu, but the moths kept coming. And then they didn't. There was no more genjutsu, no more moths.

"It seems you've killed all of my beloved moths, Noriko. This fight cannot be settled by my genjutsu and your ninjutsu. It seems taijutsu and kenjutsu will have to settle this one. I will still win. You are tired from using your ninjutsu and your chakra is low."

"My Gunbai doesn't require chakra. I will win this one, Ayaka-chan."

Ayaka drew a kunai and charged at the young Uchiha. Ayaka was fast, but Noriko blocked her every blow with the Gunbai. She used her Kama to deliver her own blows, but this fight was going no where. The girls were both tired and slowing down, low on energy and chakra.

Then Noriko had an idea. She pushed Ayaka away with the Gunbai, creating distance them. She waved a few hand seals, causing herself to disappear from Ayaka's view.

'A genjutsu?' Ayaka realized. She released it and saw that Noriko was behind her. She pounced and pined Noriko to the ground with the kunai at her throat.

"I win, Noriko."

"Not quite," a voice from behind said. The Noriko underneath her vanished and she realized a Kama was at her throat.

"How did you...?"

"You only dispelled the genjutsu I wanted you to. There were two of them: a genjutsu inside a genjutsu. I knew that to get inside your defenses, you had to think you'd won. This fight belongs to me."

* * *

**I know I said this chapter would include round three, but I just ran out of ideas for Itachi and Noriko's fight. As soon as I have something, I'll post it. Feel free to share any ideas. I'll give you credit in the author notes for you ideas. Hope you enjoyed Noriko Vs Ayaka.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews guys :) It really does help to know what people think. I also just realized a mistake I made in chapter 2. Noriko graduated at 8, not 7. She's two years younger than Hikaru, one year younger than Ayaka. I accidentally used Itachi's age as a reference point for things. This is 2 years after she graduated the academy. She and Itachi are 10, Ayaka's 11, and Hikaru's 12. Sorry I just figured that out. Just to clarify that. Now, without further delay, Itachi VS Noriko!**

* * *

Noriko stood before Itachi, shaking. She was very low on chakra from her two fights already, but Itachi seemed to be alright.

"I didn't think I'd be fighting you today, Itachi," Noriko said. "To think I'd face my three most precious people in the same day."

"It's alright to say you've had enough, Noriko," Itachi told her. "You've already proven yourself a chunin. There's no need to carry out this fight. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Noriko smiled. "I have to give this my all, Itachi. What kind of ninja would I be if I backed out just because it was easier? Please don't go easy on me."

Itachi smiled sadly. "If that is your wish."

His Sharingan activated.

"Begin!" the proctor declared.

Noriko charged with her Gunbai, trying to use kenjutsu and save her chakra reserves, but Itachi easily dodged it. The fight carried on much like that: Noriko attacking and Itachi dodging. She was getting tired quickly. Her chakra and stamina were dangerously low.

After a long game of chase, Noriko finally had Itachi pinned.

"I actually got you," she said with an exhausted smile.

"Not quite," a voice from behind said.

The Itachi underneath her disappeared and the real Itachi was standing behind her with a kunai to her throat.

"Genjutsu?" she realized. "I didn't even realize it. You truly are the genius of the Uchiha clan. And I'm afraid I'll never catch up to you, Itachi."

"Don't try to catch up to me. Just be yourself, Noriko."

Itachi was declared the winner and Noriko was taken away to recover from the three battles.

* * *

Noriko was sleeping soundly when the shifting of the bed disturbed her. She opened her eyes to see her Hyuga team mate.

"Hikaru-kun..."

"He's right you know," He said.

"hm?"

"Itachi. You shouldn't try to catch up to him, or be like him. Just be yourself. We all love you because you are Noriko, regardless of if you have Sharingan or not; regardless if you are the star of the Uchiha or not. You are Noriko, and we all care very deeply for you. _I_ care very deeply for you."

"Hikaru-kun...I..."

"I know I can never be what Itachi is to you. You've been close since you were children. You're apart of the same clan, and he's always been your protector. But I wanted to make my feelings clear to you."

He started to leave, but Noriko grabbed his hand.

"You will never be what Itachi is to me, but nor should you try to be. You are not Itachi, you are Hikaru-kun. Yes, Itachi and I were close when we were children, but ever since he left the academy, we've been growing apart. I will always care for him deeply, but we simply are not apart of each others lives as much as we once were. You have been there for me, though. We've become close, and...I care for you as well."

She squeezed Hikaru's hand.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Sandaime-sama asked me to bring this to you." He held up a vest.

"I made chunin?"

"Are you surprised? The only one who beat you today was Itachi. You were amazing out there."

"Who else made it?"

"All the Konoha genin."

"We're all chunin?"

"Yep. And as soon as you're out of here, we get to start some new missions."

Hikaru leaned over and kissed her forehead, causing Noriko to blush. Not one, aside from her parents, had ever kissed her before.

"Rest, Noriko. We'll talk some more later, alright."

"Alright," she said with a content smile.

Neither of them noticed the shadow standing in the doorway. Uchiha Itachi fled before either of them could realize it.

* * *

**So, what do you think? We're going to start a new points system that I'm borrowing from Yuri Tora. Go check them out. They've got an amazing Itachi/OC story that I am in love with! **

**Here's how the points work. For every review you give, you get 2 points. I'll ask a question as well. If you get it right in your review, you get 5 points. **

**Question for this chapter is: What do you think Itachi will do now that he knows about Hikaru's feelings?**

**Current standings for points are:**

**LostLonelyLies: 4**

**Yuri Tora, MinakoS, VampireSiren, Freddie4153, SabinXItachi, StellarNymph, GaaraRules29, Mizudoriisamu: 2**

**Now review and answer the question so you can get points. Disclaimer: the only thing the points get you is recognition and satisfaction. Yuri Tora does this and I'm second place right now. It feels pretty freaking awesome.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Woohoo! Great reviews!**

**2 points for unknownher and P.S. Ellie**

**5 points for VampireSiren, Yuri Tora, and Satoberi**

**bonus 5 points for Yuri Tora, cause they recommended me in their story To Fill The Void...and they did the same for me :) love ya 3**

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**Here's where points currently stand:**

**Yuri Tora: 12**

**VampireSiren: 7**

**Satoberi: 5**

**twistedlittledoll: 4**

**minakoS, Freddie4153, SabinXItachi, StellarNymph, GaaraRules29, mizudoriisamu, P.S. Ellie, unknownher: 2**

* * *

**P.S. Ellie: Dude! That would be awesome! But it's not gonna happen. Sorry. Good idea though. Already had what's gonna happen figured out though.**

**Satoberi: eventually :) not in this chapter though :_{**

**unknownher: glad you like it! I wasn't originally going to do the love triangle, but Yuri Tora gave me the push to do it. They were eventually going to have a thing anyways, but I decided to do it sooner rather than later.**

**Yuri Tora: you're almost exactly right. He doesn't really tell Hikaru to back off though. Protective he is though. You'll see more of that in the next few chapters.**

**VampireSiren: he's definitely upset! He's going to become extremely protective of Noriko and that's going to stick around for quite awhile, even if she doesn't realize it all the time**

* * *

**Now, without further ado, The Rescue Mission Arc!**

Things were slow after the chunin exams. Although all of team Shikako had passed, that didn't mean Shikako had let his team off the hook for training. As a "present" graduating, Shikako had taken the new chunins on an extreme survival training trip. Only when he felt the chunins had been sufficiently whooped did he bring them home and treat them to a well-deserved dinner-on him.

Ayaka, Hikaru, and Noriko had only taken on one mission since becoming chunin-a simple c ranked escort mission that had gone off without a hitch. Hikaru had complained that they had done similar missions while genin and claimed that c-ranked missions were below them now. This had earned him a significant beating from Shikako. The jonin believed in humbleness, amongst other things, and wouldn't stand for a cocky student.

During this time, Noriko didn't see a lot of Itachi-almost to the point where she felt he was avoiding her-but she did spend plenty of time with Hikaru. During their free time, the young couple spend much time in each others company. They'd gone on several lunch dates, including a picnic by the lake, but the more time Noriko spent with Hikaru, the more she realized she didn't feel a spark between them. She cared for Hikaru and thought he was attractive, but felt something was missing between them.

About a month after the chunin exams, Team Shikako was called before Hokage. Already in the room were Itachi and three Jonin.

"Good. You're all here now. I have an urgent A-ranked mission for you all. There's been a man kidnapping young girls from nearby villages. Not much is known other than his physical description. We will have you in two teams: an infiltration team and an extraction team. Infiltration will be lead by Itachi and consist of Ayaka, Hikaru, and Noriko. The rest of you will be extraction lead by Shikako. Shikako, you have the lead on this mission. Here's all the information we have on the situation. Now, move out!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

* * *

They met outside the village and went over the information.

"Alright, here's the plan," Shikako said. "Noriko will be the bait."

"What?!" Hikaru exclaimed.

Itachi frowned, but said nothing.

"Noriko is the youngest and will be most likely to attract this guys attention."

"I can handle this. I won't let you down, Sensei!"

"I know you can. You won't be able to take any weapons, but between your genjutsu and ninjutsu, you'll be fine. Ayaka will send in her smallest moths both to aid in genjutsu and tracking. Once you get to your destination, Ayaka will alert my team with her moths. Meanwhile, Hikaru will keep watch with his Byakugan. If anything goes wrong, you three will back up Noriko and get her out of there. Once my team arrives, we will detain the kidnapper and you four will find and free the girls. Any questions?"

They shook their heads.

"Then let's move out!"

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**Alright, I'm going to end it there for now. Hope you all enjoyed it! Shout out to Yuri Tora for being in first place!**

**For the question: we know this mission is a rescue mission, but who will ultimately be the one getting rescued and by who?**

**5 points to the reviewers who get it right, 2 points to the rest of you who review.**

**I'll update as soon as possible, but I'm without internet since I just moved at the beginning of March.**


	8. Discontinued

a lot of shit has recently happened to me. As a result, I'm going to be discontinuing this story. I'll still be writing, just not this story. I left it alone for too long and I can't pick it back up. Thanks for all the support and reviews. Try checking out my other stories.


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